The invention relates to the field of electronics manufacturing and, more particularly, to techniques for selective soldering process characterization.
In an automated electronics manufacturing environment, wave solder machines are used in order to reliably solder electronics components onto electronic circuit boards. In such an environment, components are affixed to a top surface of an electronics board while the component leads extend through the board to a second side. This board is then placed within a selective soldering machine and drawn over the surface of a wave of molten solder which extends over the entire width of the electronics board. Through the action of moving the electronics board across a solder wave, the components affixed to a top surface of the electronics board are soldered into place.
When an electronics board incorporates components which are affixed to both a top and a bottom surface of the electronics board, a solder wave which extends the width of the board cannot be used in order to solder components into place, since the solder wave will invariably come into contact with components located on the side of the board to which solder is being applied. Thus, a selective soldering machine is used in order to facilitate the soldering of components located at selected areas of an electronics board with components present on both sides.
In a selective soldering machine, a much smaller solder wave is used to solder electronics components to specific areas of the electronics board. In a selective soldering machine, a solder wave can be generated that measures only a fraction of an inch in both length and width. A computer-controlled gantry is then used to bring very specific areas of the electronics board into contact with the smaller solder wave. However, this process can still result in exposing undesired locations of the electronics board to the solder source. This results in degrading pre-existing solder contacts, as well as causing damage to electronics components which unintentionally make contact with the solder source. These can result in the electronics components becoming detached from the electronics board, as well as degrading the integrity of pre-existing solder bonds.
Therefore, it is highly desirable to make use of a method and system for selective soldering process characterization. This would allow electronics manufacturers to impose a greater degree of precision on the selective soldering process and thus reduce the incidences of components becoming detached from an electronics board, as well as maintaining the integrity of pre-existing solder bonds which are adjacent to the solder sources.